vendredi 29 avril 2016

You can't really make an album more death-metal than this one. Raw and brutal old-school death metal. Emanations from the Crypt is released in 2016 (by Hell's Headbangers records) but that could have been made in 1996. Timeless death-metal. The real deal. Embalmer is a band from Cleveland and they are making death metal since the early nineties, but it was mostly demos (but excellent ones!) and a first album that they felt was not really true to the band so this one can be seen like their first "proper" album even though they are far from juniors... The typical death metal vocals are great, the drummer is doing a great job with his non-triggered drumkit, the crazy guitar playing reminds the good stuff from Deranged, so it's all good. really cool stuff (well, on the rotten side of "cool" of course!), one of my favourite death metal release this year so far.

jeudi 28 avril 2016

Classhole is a band from New-Orleans, with the bassist of Eyehategod / Outlaw order on guitar, and one guitarist of The Mystic Crew of Clearlight on drums you expect a typical New-Orleans sound for this hardcore band. And you'll be right! On their first self-titled album they sound like a mix of Black flag and the most hardcore part of Eyehategod. Fifteen tracks of good raw and dirty old school hardcore.

dimanche 24 avril 2016

In my teenage, before listening to a lot of grindcore and death-meal I used to listen to The Cure on a daily basis. So this Captive album, Black Leather Glove, released last year, struck a chord with me, reminding one of my first musical obsession. The singing especially reminds Robert Smith, the overall sound as well, even though the synths plays a larger part. But don't think it's a more cheesy version of The Cure, no it doesn't reminds the "poppy" side of The Cure, it's more the dark and subtly disturbing The Cure that comes to mind, "Pornography", "Seventeen seconds", stuff like that. The side of The Cure I liked the most, and still like. But even if you never heard a single note of The Cure, or just the "radio hits" like "Boys don't cry", you have a big chance of enjoying Captive. It's really well done and classy post-punk / New wave. Recommended!

mardi 19 avril 2016

Seven years after its previous album, Gutter tactics, Dalek is back with this Asphalt for Eden surprisingly released by Profound lore (and why not!). DJ Octopus is not in the band anymore but the classical Dalek sound is still there, maybe it's just closer to the more classical boom-bap sound of the other MC Dalek project Iconaclass. But it's still boom-bap with heavy beats and a big dose of dark and melancholic noise / shoegaze atmosphere and classy samples (even tough I miss the free jazz ones from their old releases...). So it's maybe a more traditionnal hip-hop album but since the production is still really good and keeps the specific Dalek sound, and since MC Dalek is doing great on the mic (good flow and good lyrics) I won't complain. Not my favourite Dalek album but still far better than most hip-hop release and an album than I really enjoy listening to.

samedi 16 avril 2016

Do we need some more swedish grind? I'd say, when it's as good as the new Livet Som Insats album (their second one), Check your Grind, my answer is a resounding YES! Bring some more!
And if you wonder if the relation to the Beastie boys is limited to the fact that the cover and title is inspired by "Check your head" I'd say yes, and maybe also common roots in hardcore punk and also a good old school groove, but nothing hip-hop with Livet Som Insats, it's only old school grind / punk groove. Fast, relentless, straight to the point grindcore. Really good and enjoyable stuff.

jeudi 14 avril 2016

Aluk Todolo is a very special band and one of my favourite ( read HERE my review of their new album Voix) I'm very pleased to post this interview we did by mail, their drummer Antoine Hadjioannou answering my questions. Being french and Aluk Todolo being a french band we did it in french.

mercredi 13 avril 2016

Night Beats is a trio from Seattle and Who Sold My Generation? is their third album, and probably their best. Three years after Sonic Bloom they continue to propose some excellent psychedelic / sixties rock with some garage elements that could remind the Black Keys (when they were good). Not too retro and generic while keeping what's the beating heart of sixties psych' rock, Who Sold My Generation? is a really finely crafted and enjoyable album.

lundi 11 avril 2016

This one was one of the very best hardcore album released last year. Torso is a band with members from Punch (Califormia) and Holy (Italia). No wonder they play some fast and aggressive hardcore. The album called Sono Pronta a Morire is a condensed version of how hardcore should sound, fierce and straight to the point. The female vocals, the riffing and the drumming are very good. Not another samey hardcore album, while it stick to hardcore basics it's just done so well that you want get back to it again and again. The lyrics are feminist / straight-edge vegan stuff. If you like hardcore no doubt you will really enjoy it.

vendredi 8 avril 2016

After their softer album "No one deserves happiness" The Body are back to their nightmarish usual with this collaboration, called "One day you will ache like I ache", with the hardcore / grind band Full of Hell. Maybe one of their most sinister release with a lot of harsh noise / dark ambient in their industrial doom / drone base. Plus some more violence added with the blast beats / faster / more chaotic / more dynamic drumming from Full of Hell's drummer. And maybe the few track where you have this addition are the best, like on the title track starting with some industrial dub beats before all hell breaks loose in a blast beats / free extreme metal whirlwind ending on a good noise guitar part. It's another good album from The Body, no doubt about it, but the problem is that it sounds a lot more like a The Body album featuring Full of Hell on some tracks than really a collaborative album. I feel like the collaboration does not reach it's full potential, or just sometimes. most of the time it sounds like another good The Body album. which is ok, but the collaboration with Full of Hell should have been used to more effects. Maybe another time...
The album is released by Neurot recordings.

mardi 5 avril 2016

Coming after an excellent EP five years ago this is Verdun's first album, The Eternal Drift's Canticles. released by Lost Pilgrims, Throatruiner and Head Records. They really took their time to craft this album, and listening to it you can tell. It really sound like nothing was left to chance, with a great richness of details and subtleties (without forgetting to be also heavy!). The albums shows a great mastery in songwriting, each songs are memorable and different, and the various parts in the songs are each bringing something new and interesting to the whole. It's the kind of album you take pleasure to listen to again and again and each time you discover a little something new, and the specific atmosphere's of the songs gets deeper into your mind. So, how does it sounds like? The major component is doom, but with a progressive / atmospheric approach. Not very far from bands like Yob, Monolord, Neurosis, and Earth. The Eternal Drift's Canticles is a very solid album that deserves its place among the best doom related releases this year.